I believe seasonal adjustment disorder or SAD, is way more common than we realise. In fact I bet that most people suffer from it to a greater or lesser degree. Perhaps for some it kicks in when summer is nearing but I imagine for most it is this time of year, autumn, when the realization truly hits home that winter is nearly here. Winter which seems to linger like a long dark shadow over the horizon for longer than it should.
I’ve been giving this topic of seasonal adjustment much thought over the past week as I reflect on the cloudy grim chilly days we have been having and listening to people saying how cold it is and that it’s only the start of April. I’ve been considering how do I feel amongst all that. And honestly, it all makes me feel very flat and I suddenly have the desire to turn bear and hibernate for however long it will take for summer to truly come back. But, then I realise that actually half my life will be spent between autumn and winter. So, how do I enjoy it and thrive in the seasons I find less enjoyable?
Then I consider the spiritual side of seasonal adjustment. There are dark grey days in life when things are emotionally and spiritually hard. At times in our lives we go through storms, we walk through valleys, we fight battles. Not every day is spiritually bright with mountaintop views. We don’t always feel happy and full of zest for life. What helps you to thrive in the storms, walk through the valleys and not take up camp there? What helps you to take territory on the battlefield and not surrender? Perhaps some of those principles and notions we can use to helps us as we walk through seasonal adjustment.
I don’t believe God wants us to be emotionally and spiritually impacted by the change in seasons. Just like I don’t believe He wants us to be emotionally and spiritually impacted by the storms and battles of life. What helps you to thrive in the storms and in the valleys and on the battlefield? For me, declaring God’s word and His goodness, declaring what He sees not what I can see is crucial. Prophesying what I want to see, the breakthroughs I’m believing for. How can I relate this to the challenges of seasonal adjustment? God, I thank you that even though I can’t see the sun today, I know it’s there behind the clouds and I will see it again even if not today or even tomorrow I will see it again. Leaning on God’s work and thanking Him for the different seasons we experience, both in our lives and in nature. Ecclesiastes 3 – To everything there is a season. Declaring the appreciation of the different seasons and how we need the different seasons for things to die off and new things to grow and flourish.
Practically what is helping me is that I’ve started using our fire more. There’s something about the fire that makes me feel cosy, not just warm physically but somehow makes me feel less flat from the weather. Also, I just wear more layers because if I feel warm, it doesn’t matter what the weather is doing because I am warm, especially my feet!
As we near the halfway point of autumn, I will seek to remind myself of these words and suggestions I’ve written about. I hope they will also encourage you if you find yourself struggling with seasonal adjustment (which if you’re honest I’m sure you do like most of us). I would love to hear your reflections on what helps you thrive in the adjustment to different seasons and in the wintertime, and also what helps you thrive in and out of the storms and battlefields of life.